Heel element for swim fins

ABSTRACT

A heel member for an open-heel fin includes a loop-shaped body having a substantially parabolic profile, with an inner portion shaped as a cavity of substantially parabolic profile that is configured for housing the ankle of a user. The heel member is provided, on both of its arms, with at least one axial duct suitable for housing a strap that engages the sides of the foot pocket of the fin.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns swim fins, and in particular concerns a heel element for open-heel fins.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Swim fins are made in a very wide variety of shapes and sizes and are divided, among other things, into two main families, that is, full-foot fins, in which the user's foot is completely inserted up to the heel into a suitable housing, and open-heel fins, in which only the user's forefoot enters a cavity suitably arranged in the fin, while the heel is surrounded by a strap connected to the foot-pocket sides and provided with a portion or element, named heel element, right suitable to accommodate the user's heel.

The two different types of fins are suitable for very different uses. Full-foot fins normally are suitable for a user who practices snorkeling or underwater fishing, where it is important to control the fin movement whereas it is not essential to have the ability to wear dive boots to protect the feet from cold. On the other hand, this last necessity becomes very important when practicing scuba diving to even considerable depths, being therefore advisable to reduce as much as possible the heat loss from the diver's body. However, the use of dive boots actually prevents the adoption of full-foot fins, which are generally designed to best adapt to the shape of the naked foot and would tend to slip away when another interposed material is present.

The strap that is used to hold the foot in the open-heel foot pocket is generally made of elastomeric material, and is prone to cause discomfort to the user at the Achilles tendon, due to the very shape of the ankle section. In this regard, the initial attempt was to make straps having an enlarged central portion, so as to spread over a larger area the tensile load exerted by the strap, then a removable heel element has been inserted on the strap made of elastomeric material. This solution is mainly connected to the possibility of choosing a more comfortable material for the heel element, and at the same time of allowing the two parts to be replaced in distinguished ways.

At the state of the art, solutions such as the one reported in document EP2433680, whose owner is the same applicant, are known. However, the heel element described therein is a body of flexible material that is essentially flat and is adapted to the user's heel by deformation. This solution tends on the one hand to wear out the element itself, which is subjected to a considerable load, and on the other hand clearly limits the comfort of the user, since in use the heel element will tend to naturally slide towards the Achilles tendon and to apply its maximum load right in that region.

Document U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,383 describes a strap for fins, dive masks or goggles provided with a single quick-release buckle; in the embodiment related to the use with fins, the buckle has a cushioning portion facing the user's heel and is able to partially house the latter. However, such a configuration seems to be primarily intended to limit the discomfort caused by the buckle lying precisely on the heel region.

In any case, open-heel fins are currently used exclusively in combination with dive boots, as the existing straps and heel elements are not suitable to allow a comfortable and continuous use without the buffering and cushioning effect of neoprene. This way, dive boots or two kinds of different fins must be always available.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Object of the present invention is therefore to provide a heel member able to overcome the problems highlighted above while ensuring better fit comfort to the user and, at the same time, improved stability and safety in the coupling with the foot pocket of the fin through the strap and allowing a comfortable and continuous use both in combination with the dive boots and in the absence of dive boots at the user's feet.

Object of the present invention is therefore a heel member for an open-heel fin, comprising a loop-shaped body with a substantially parabolic profile, such that its inside takes the form of a cavity with a parabolic profile and suitable for completely housing the rear portion of the user's ankle, and at least one strap for the coupling with the sides of the foot pocket of the fin, said body being provided, on both of its arms, with at least one axial duct suitable for the housing of said strap.

Advantageously, said cavity suitable for completely housing the rear portion of the user's ankle has a parabolic profile with a further concavity shaped like an ogive on the vertex; this way, said cavity takes a profile suitable for accommodating the substantially pyriform section of the ankle.

An embodiment provides that each of the arms delimiting the heel-housing cavity has, starting from the free end, a first segment with concave pattern followed by a second segment with convex pattern extending in turn with a third segment with concave pattern, this third segment being connected to the third segment of the opposite arm thereby forming the cavity with the ogive shape at the vertex, while the convex segment has a convexity corresponding to the average concavity of the heel portion intended to come into contact with the same convexity.

In an embodiment, at least one radial cavity communicating with said axial duct, is provided on each of said arms, said cavity being suitable for the coupling with an element intended to connect with an end of the strap. Advantageously, said arms are each provided with a further axial duct parallel to the first duct, said radial cavities being in communication with one of the two ducts. The strap portion running along the entire length of said heel member is thus separated from the portion that is returned by the coupling means to couple with the sides of the foot pocket of the fin.

Advantageously, said heel member is made in one piece of elastically yielding material, and preferably of polymeric foam, and even more preferably closed-cell polymeric foam. Polymeric foams suitable for making the aforesaid heel member comprise polyurethane and polystyrene.

An embodiment variation provides that the heel element is made of thermoplastic rubber or natural rubber or mixtures thereof.

In a further embodiment, the body of said member is provided with gripping means on the outer wall of its vertex; these gripping means comprise a through opening made near the vertex of said heel member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages and characteristics of the device according to the present invention will be apparent from the following description of some embodiments thereof, made by way of example and without limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawing tables, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan top view of a first embodiment of the device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a second embodiment of the device according to the present invention; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are two perspective views of the device shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 depicts a first embodiment of the heel member according to the present invention, the body of said member being denoted by the numeral 1. Said body is shaped with a substantially parabolic outer profile and, in its internal profile, has a cavity 101 also parabolic and suitable for housing the heel of the user 30, shown here in schematic section, where the substantially cylindrical front portion 31 and the rear portion 32 can be identified, the latter giving the overall section a substantially pyriform appearance.

The sides of the cavity 101 consist of the two arms 201 symmetrical with each other and tapered from the end connected to the vertex of the body 1 toward the free end. An axial duct 211, better visible in the below described figures, extends from the free end of each arm 201 and inside the latter, then opens onto the through opening 301 that is formed near the vertex of the body 1, and contributes to the formation of the handle 311. The strap 2 is inserted into the ducts 211 and is returned on appropriate means coupled to the foot pocket of the fin, not shown in the figure. Radial cavities 221, 231 and 241, configured to cooperate with the block 102 to which an end of the strap 2 is attached, are formed on the side wall of each arm 201.

FIG. 2 depicts a second embodiment of the heel member according to the present invention; the body of the aforesaid member is denoted by the numeral 3. In this case, the cavity 103 facing the user's heel 30 has a substantially parabolic profile which, in the neighborhood of the vertex, has a further concavity 113 with a rounded-top ogive shape, which allows a better adaptation to the substantially pyriform section of the heel 30. The two arms 203 of the body 3 are tapered from the vertex of the composite cavity 103, 113 towards the free ends, and have two parallel and superimposed ducts 213, 223, which are better seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 described below.

On the side walls of each of the arms 203 are formed axial cavities 233, which provide housing for the respective blocks 102 to which one end of the strap 2 is secured. The aforementioned strap 2 comes out of the ducts 213 of the arms 203 at the opening 303 positioned at the vertex end of the body 3, which generates the handle 313. On the opening wall facing the vertex of the cavity 103, 113 there are tooth-like reliefs 323 acting as countercheck for the strap 2.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the heel member of FIG. 2; equal parts correspond to equal numerals. The figure highlights the positioning of the axial ducts 213 and 223, parallel to each other, formed in the two arms 203. As can be deducted from FIG. 4, in which the same member is shown from the opposite perspective with respect to FIG. 3, the ducts 223 open onto the radial cavities 233 formed on the side wall of each arm 203, whereas the ducts 213 open onto the wall of the opening 303.

The operation of the device according to the present invention will be apparent from the following description. The shape of the body of the heel member according to the present invention ensures, compared to what is known in the state of the art, a housing more in line with the comfort requirements of the related anatomical part. In fact, as shown in FIG. 1, the substantially parabolic profile of the cavity 103 enables a better distribution of the load exerted by the strap, once the latter is introduced into the duct 211 and connected to the foot pocket of the fin. In addition, the body of the heel member made of elastically yielding material not only provides for a “softer” support of the user's Achilles tendon at the top of cavity 103, but also provides for the ends of the arms 201 to converge towards the heel 30, thereby enveloping it and thus evenly distributing the load exerted by the strap 2.

The heel member of the invention can be connected to the open-heel foot-pocket of the fin according to several procedures. In the simplest case, the strap, as illustrated in above mentioned document EP2433680, can be introduced into the duct 211 of an arm, then can pass through the opening 301 and, through duct 211 of the other arm, and can come out of the body 1 of the heel member. The two ends can then be secured to the open-heel foot-pocket of the fin by using known coupling systems with or without adjusting devices.

According to another procedure, as shown in FIG. 1, the ends of the strap 2 can be simply returned using appropriate returning devices coupled to the foot pocket of the fin and then reinserted into the duct 211. From here, they can be positioned in one of the radial cavities formed on each of the arms 201 of the body 1, and then appropriately connected to the block 102, which is then housed in the selected cavity. This second option makes it possible to easily and effectively adjust the tension of the strap, which in this case is an elastomeric strip-shaped element, and considerably simplifies the connection between the foot pocket of the fin and the strap itself.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the body 3 of the heel member has a shape of the cavity 103, 113 configured to house the user's heel and is even closer to the morphology of the anatomical part in question, with the additional concavity 113 allowing the positioning of the Achilles tendon. In addition, two separate ducts for positioning the strap are provided: the duct 213 allows the heel member to be enveloped by the strap and connected to the foot pocket of the fin, while the duct 223 allows the end of the strap 2 to be returned to the cavity 233 and then connected, after appropriate tensioning, to the block 102, which will then be placed in the aforesaid cavity.

Once correctly connected to the foot pocket, according to one of the above described ways, the heel member can be simply used by the user whose foot, at the time of fitting, will be introduced by using the handle provided at the vertex end of the body of the aforementioned member.

A device according to the present invention, therefore, provides an effective solution to the problems in the state of the art, ensures a comfortable fit and also contributes to a rationalization and simplification of the connection with the open-heel foot-pocket of the fin.

The body of the heel member is made of an elastically yielding material, and preferably of a closed-cell polymeric foam, which better adapts to the conditions of high environmental stress to which the device is subjected. Preferable polymeric foams are polyurethane foams and polystyrene foams. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A heel member for an open-heel fin, comprising: a loop-shaped body having arms that define a substantially parabolic profile with an inside shaped as a cavity having a substantially parabolic profile and configured to completely house a rear portion of a user's ankle, and a strap engaging sides of a foot-pocket of the fin, wherein the loop-shaped body is provided, on both of said arms, with an axial duct adapted to house said strap.
 2. The heel member according to claim 1, wherein an additional concavity is defined at a vertex of the substantially parabolic profile of said cavity, the additional concavity being shaped like a rounded ogive.
 3. The heel member according to claim 1, further comprising at least one radial cavity defined on each one of said arms and communicating with said duct, said at least one radial cavity being adapted to receive an element configured to be connected to one end of said strap.
 4. The heel member according to claim 3, wherein said arms are each provided with a second axial duct parallel to the first duct, said radial cavities being in communication with one of the two axial ducts.
 5. The heel member according to claim 1, wherein said loop-shaped body has a vertex provided with a gripping member on an outer wall of said vertex.
 6. The heel member according to claim 5, wherein said gripping member comprises a through opening defined near said vertex.
 7. The heel member according to claim 1, wherein said heel member is made as one piece of an elastically yielding material.
 8. The heel member according to claim 7, wherein the elastically yielding material is made from a polymeric foam.
 9. The heel member according to claim 8, wherein the polymeric foam is of closed cell type.
 10. The heel member according to claim 8, wherein the polymeric foam comprises one or both of polyurethane or polystyrene.
 11. The heel member according to claim 7, wherein the elastically yielding material is a thermoplastic rubber, a natural rubber, or a mixture thereof. 